Past studies on several Alberta lakes

[Red Bullets]

So I was surfed on the interweb and found this page with past provincial studies of our fisheries, from 2010 to 2014, and thought I would share the page as the reports are a good read. The reports talk about age groups, sizes and populations of the various species of fish in that lake. A person can use the tables for reference to apply the older stats to what 2017's fishing potential of a lake might be.

http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...t-archive.aspx

[wind drift]

Good info. Interestingly, you skipped past the 2015 reports in what looks to be an updated and much better format.
http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...s/default.aspx

[ddddd05]

Great posts! Thank You!

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by wind drift

Good info. Interestingly, you skipped past the 2015 reports in what looks to be an updated and much better format.
http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...s/default.aspx

Unless I'm missing something, not much for useful information in this format...

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

So I was surfed on the interweb and found this page with past provincial studies of our fisheries, from 2010 to 2014, and thought I would share the page as the reports are a good read. The reports talk about age groups, sizes and populations of the various species of fish in that lake. A person can use the tables for reference to apply the older stats to what 2017's fishing potential of a lake might be.

http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...t-archive.aspx

Thanks again.

Reading some of the 2012 reports has changed my plans a bit. I had my eye on Battle for tank whites. At 5% of the total catch...that sounds like just a lot of white fishless days to me. What was also interesting was the biggest they netted was 25+ inches. No bigger than what they got from Pigeon but Pigeon averaged 35%. ....I think I'll stick with Pigeon and forget about Battle whites.

Sylvan, 73%! Wow. Whites are doing well in that lake. Interesting to see that the largest was around 22 inches. Most were much smaller like I'm seeing, and, some of these are actually older fish. So these whites are genetically smaller. All stuff confirmed in my catches as well.

[SNAPFisher]

Hmm, also had Buck Lake white tanks on my mind but the netting there also showed dismal results for whites.

I think I'll stick to Pigeon, Gull and Sylvan for whites.

[Bemoredog]

What I found really curious is that most of these reports don't have any Burbot (or very few) caught in the nets. Any theories on why this is when we know a number of these lakes have healthy populations?

Is it because Burbot move very little? Because they swim so low to the bottom? Thoughts?!?

[facultoad]

I've long wondered this. If you look at netting reports from almost any lake you are familiar with- there will be a very low number of burbs compared to what you expect. I think they avoid the nets by sitting right on bottom in deep water during the times of years they do these surveys.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Thanks again.

Reading some of the 2012 reports has changed my plans a bit. I had my eye on Battle for tank whites. At 5% of the total catch...that sounds like just a lot of white fishless days to me. What was also interesting was the biggest they netted was 25+ inches. No bigger than what they got from Pigeon but Pigeon averaged 35%. ....I think I'll stick with Pigeon and forget about Battle whites.

Sylvan, 73%! Wow. Whites are doing well in that lake. Interesting to see that the largest was around 22 inches. Most were much smaller like I'm seeing, and, some of these are actually older fish. So these whites are genetically smaller. All stuff confirmed in my catches as well.

Good observation. Actually the original whitefish that were in Pigeon lake were a smaller whitefish that grew to 2 lbs. In the 20's or 30's a fellow initiated having a larger strain of whitefish introduced, which are the bigger whitefish you see now a days. The whites you find in Gull were stocked there in the 30's with the stock coming from Pigeon lake . Gull never had whites before then. Sylvan has the same strain of whites as the original whites from Pigeon.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Good observation. Actually the original whitefish that were in Pigeon lake were a smaller whitefish that grew to 2 lbs. In the 20's or 30's a fellow initiated having a larger strain of whitefish introduced, which are the bigger whitefish you see now a days. The whites you find in Gull were stocked there in the 30's with the stock coming from Pigeon lake . Gull never had whites before then. Sylvan has the same strain of whites as the original whites from Pigeon.

That is very interesting. thanks!

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Unless I'm missing something, not much for useful information in this format...

If you click on the lake names in the left column, a report opens. The graphs showing fish sizes are very useful.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by wind drift

If you click on the lake names in the left column, a report opens. The graphs showing fish sizes are very useful.

Yep! that helped. But the amount of info is not as good. Great to present it nicely but lower on substance than the previous years that I read. The other one had sizes and ages. This pretty much offers walleye and pike data mostly. meh.